Time for Wilson to step up

By Jonathan Legard BBC motor racing correspondent

Justin Wilson is one up on his new Jaguar team-mate, Mark Webber, even before a wheel's turned at this weekend's German Grand Prix.

Only Wilson could make the Australian look up to him as Formula One's tallest driver.

But it is on the track that Britain's rising star needs to make the biggest impression if he wants to secure a future beyond his initial five race deal.

"Wilson's done a bloody good job at Minardi," says former championship runner-up John Watson, who rates Wilson as one of the performers of the 2003 season.

Webber's done a very good job, but like Wilson we don't know how good he is John Watson Wilson tries Jaguar for first time Schumacher predicts tough race

"But has he dominated Jos Verstappen like he should have done? There's still a question mark over Wilson's ultimate pace.

"He's going into a strange team, strange car with different tyres, and it's a big step up, particularly against a team-mate who's built up so much momentum."

Jaguar have been quick to play down expectations surrounding Wilson's debut at this weekend's German Grand Prix.

Wilson has never driven at the new look Hockenheim track and he's only sat in the Jaguar R4 for a brief shakedown at Silverstone last Monday.

"We're treating it like a test drive," said Jaguar boss, Tony Purnell.

"It's an awful lot to ask for anyone to perform in those circumstances."

But Watson believes Wilson needs to make his mark as soon as possible in a world where drivers are only as good as their last race.

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"If you're good enough, you're good straightaway," insists Watson, who was up against Alain Prost and Niki Lauda in his time at McLaren.

Wilson has outqualified the experienced Verstappen in five of the 11 races, finishing ahead of him four times.

But he has yet to score a point in F1 - like Antonia Pizzonia, the former Formula 3000 rival he has replaced.

Pizzonia was frequently battling mechanical unreliability as much as driver errors, and Watson fears that Wilson's big chance may be compromised by Jaguar failings.

"Pizzonia will need to look at himself why he didn't do well but he has every justification to feel that he didn't get his best chance from the team," Watson claims.

"If there's been a problem with a Jaguar this season, it's invariably been on Pizzonia's car."

"Justin has to beat that problem."

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Beating Webber - or at least getting closer to him than Pizzonia managed - will be the key to a long-term contract with Jaguar.

And Watson is looking forward enormously to the contest between F1's two tall guys.

"Webber's done a very good job this season. I've even heard him linked to Williams if Montoya was lured away by McLaren."

"But he's not yet been up against an established team-mate in Formula One. Like Justin, we don't know just how good he is, whether he's in the [Fernando] Alonso category [as a future superstar]."

It is certainly too much to ask that Wilson, 25 on Thursday, makes his new team-mate look ordinary.

But having beaten Webber to the F3000 crown in 2001, Wilson will be aware that there could be no quicker way to announce himself in British racing green than picking up where he left off two years ago.